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Thursday, May 19, 2016

Sweet Indulgence by Jill Blake

Becca Markham spent the last six years trying to please
everyone but herself. So when she ditches her cheating boyfriend and quits her
high-stress job as a software engineer, she decides it’s time to pursue her own
dreams. At the top of her list? Transforming her life-long love of baking from
a part-time hobby into a full-time business.

Leo Kogan spent years scrambling to escape a life of poverty—first in Russia,
then in the U.S. Now a successful surgeon, he needs just one thing to complete
his American dream: the perfect woman. But making the leap from casual friends
to lovers proves harder than he expects.

Despite a sizzling attraction, Becca and Leo disagree on important things—like
love and money. She’s looking for sex without strings; he wants a partner for
life. She stakes her future on a risky new business; he’s obsessed with
financial security.

Can love bring two headstrong people together…or will their differences end up
tearing them apart?

Mary – ☆☆☆☆
I really liked Becca and Leo's story, I just wish there would have been more.
It was too short for me. I guess a good love story is always too short.

Becca Markham is finally seeing what her boyfriend of six years is all about.
All the late hours working and the excuses of being at work. Well now she knows
it was mostly lies. Now she has to wonder just how many women there were. So
now is the time to do for herself, drop the cheating SOB, lose the high stress
job and do what she loves, bake. Can she make a go of it as a business? Why
not?

Leo Kogan has loved Becca since he met her four years ago, but he has waited
because she has been with someone. Now she is free and he wants to love and
protect her. Leo works at the hospital with Becca's cheating ex and he has even
seen him with several women. When Becca and Leo finally give in to their
feelings and he finds out that she quit her high paying job, will he push her
away because he seems to not believe in her dream?

Can Becca give her heart to Leo without the fear he will cheat too? Will Leo
rush into the relationship too quick for Becca? This story is a fun, quick read
with sexy characters that will have you glued to your Kindle wanting more. I
suggest reading Beyond the Ivory Tower
(book 1) because it will help with some of the extra characters. I can't wait
for book three, it is Klara's story.

Ruthie – ☆☆☆☆
This is the second book in the series, and follows on from the first book, but this time, it is Becca's turn in the limelight. We get to catch up with Anna and Ethan too – possibly more dramatically than expected.

This is not a long book – and I liked these two so much, that I would have happily read more. However, it is a full story, with plenty of ideas that the reader can imagine moving forward. I can also hope that the third book in the trilogy will also give us more insight into the couple. The different cultures and priorities are used effectively in telling us how the romance develops, and underpins the characters of the leads. The chemistry between them is a slow burn which fuses rather than explodes – and is all the more delicious for the muted, but sensual scenes.

Looking forward to more from this interesting group of friends and colleagues.

Jill Blake loves chocolate, leisurely walks where she doesn’t break a sweat,
and books with a guaranteed happy ending. A native of Philadelphia, Jill now lives
in southern California with her husband and three children. During the day, she
works as a physician in a busy medical practice. At night, she pens steamy
romances.

1 comment:

Thank you, Mary and Ruthie, for your lovely reviews! Vlad and Klara's story (Book 3) is in the works. It's longer, and brings together romance, Russian organized crime, a crusading journalist, and...well, I won't give away the whole story, but I hope it'll be as fun to read as it was to write!

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